


You Were In The Darkness Too

by erisgregory



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family Reunions, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-09 19:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18923212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erisgregory/pseuds/erisgregory
Summary: Alex has to go to his family reunion, but between his father and all the well wishing matchmakers, Alex really needs a date. A boyfriend, to be exact. So he asks Michael, which is either the best idea in the world, or the worst.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> from a tumblr prompt: If you want could you write a fake dating malex please?

“What I need is a boyfriend.” Alex told Maria. He was on his third beer so he wasn’t drunk, but he was relaxed.

“And how is that going to help, sounds like more trouble than it’s worth to me.” Maria said, passing him another drink.

“Well for one thing it would piss off my father, which is always a bonus to me, and for another it would keep all the matchmakers at bay. My aunt has already called offering to bring a nice girl to the reunion for me. I told her no thank you, but that’s never stopped anyone before.” Alex explained.

“But there’s no one so…” Alex’s voice trailed off as he thought about it. He really couldn’t come up with a boyfriend in two days time, but maybe he could find a date that was willing to play along. The problem was his friend circle was comprised of straight guys, a couple of women, and Michael. And he and Michael were barely talking since the whole being stood up fiasco.

Oh Michael had apologized and explained himself and Alex had accepted. He’d forgiven Michael but that didn’t mean they were on great terms. Anyway that thought process would just lead to madness, so he’d have to ask Kyle. That was his only hope. 

“I could ask Kyle to pretend to be my boyfriend.” He said, spinning one of the empty bottles of beer in front of him on the bar. 

Maria stopped the bottle and threw it away. “You could also be completely insane.” Maria told him.

“No, no, hear me out. Kyle is perfect because he’s an upstanding citizen, he’s a doctor which would impress anyone, and he’s my friend. So I’ll owe him big time and he can ask for whatever he wants. I just need a guy on my arm, it might as well be someone friendly and good looking.” Alex tried.

“You think Kyle is good looking, huh?” Maria teased.

“So beside the point.” Alex told her.

“I don’t think this pretend boyfriend thing is a good idea, but go ahead, nobody listens to the psychic anyway.” Maria said with a big sigh. Alex could tell she was halfway teasing him again.

He pulled out his phone and shot off a quick text to Kyle asking what he was doing that weekend. After about five minutes, Kyle texted back.

Kyle: I’m working this weekend, why, what’s up?

Alex: Nothing, no worries, I was just curious. I have a thing this weekend. I don’t want to go alone.

Kyle: Sorry man. Besides I’m pretty sure I know for a fact there’s someone you’d rather go with.

Alex: Hey, I thought we weren’t going to ever talk about that.

Kyle: Sorry I’m not sorry.

“Trouble in paradise already?” Maria asked as she came back by. 

Alex realized he was scowling down at his phone. “Kyle can’t go. And he thinks he knows who I should ask, but he’s wrong. I can’t.”

“Oh?” Maria asked, stopping and looking at him. “Oh.” She said, realization dawned on her features.

“Yeah.” Alex said.

Maria crossed her arms on the bar and leaned forward toward Alex. “Well, maybe he has a point. I mean not about the fake boyfriend part, but just about the part where you ask Guerin to go. Your dad pretty much hates him so there’s your bonus and he can take any unwanted ladies off your hands if need be.”

Alex shook his head. “No way.” He said. “No freakin’ way.”

Maria grinned at his protest. “Really? You sure?” She goaded.

“I’m sure.” Alex told her. He was sure too, he couldn’t bear the thought of pretending to be in a relationship with Michael when he wanted so badly to be in a real one.

Alex sat and sipped water for an hour until he was sober enough to drive himself home, but he started drinking again as soon as he got there. He couldn’t get Maria’s idea out of his mind. Michael would piss off his father and he would be there to field any feminine advances, and he did owe Alex for standing him up and kissing Maria, but would he do it? And could they pull it off without Alex getting his heart broken all over again?

Half a bottle of whiskey later and Alex was texting Michael. He sat on the end of his bed staring at his phone for what felt like forever before he actually did any typing.

Alex: Hey, do you have a minute?

Michael texted back immediately.

Michael: Sure thing, what’s up?

Alex: I need a favor.

Michael: Okay, and this favor is?

Alex: It’s kind of a big favor. Huge even.

Michael: Spit it out, Manes.

Alex flopped back on his bed with a sigh. He didn’t want to do this, but he felt like he was backed into a corner.

Alex: I need someone to pretend to be my boyfriend for my family reunion. This Saturday.

No reply came. Two minutes went by and Alex was sure Michael was angry. Then his phone rang.

“Are you drunk?” Was the greeting he got when he answered the phone.

“Only a little.” He lied.

“Why me, though. Surely you have other friends. Nicer people. Someone more acceptable to your family? Pretty sure your dad still wants me dead. He hasn’t been out of the coma long enough to do anything about it, but I’m sure he’s just biding his time.” Michael said.

Alex took a deep breath and dove right in to his spiel. “That’s why you’d be perfect! I don’t want to make my father happy, ever. I’d love to piss him off in front of everyone where he can’t make a scene or stop me. And the other reason is because I have way too many brothers and aunts and cousins trying to set me up with some quote unquote nice girl to settle down with. And Maria was saying--”

“What was Maria saying?” Michael interrupted.

“Well she implied you might be willing to run some interference with the ladies too.” Alex sheepishly admitted.

“Is that right?” Michael mused. “Well, then it sounds like you have this all figured out.”

“Yes.” Alex said plainly. He’d worked it all out.

“Except, what do I get out of this little charade?” Michael wanted to know.

Alex stared up in the ceiling. He didn’t have it all worked out afterall, because he hadn’t even thought of that. “What do you want to get?” Alex asked, nervous for the answer.

“A new radiator for my truck.” Michael said.

“What? Are you serious?” Alex asked.

“Dead serious. That’s the deal. I go with you to pretend to be your boyfriend in front of the family and in return you buy me a new radiator.” Michael told him.

Alex sighed heavily. He didn’t know how much a radiator cost off the top of his head, but he was sure they weren’t cheap. On the other hand, he really did kind of need Michael’s help for this and if he didn’t get it, he was going to the reunion alone.

“Fine.” Alex agreed. “I’ll buy you the radiator. After.” He added.

“Good. What time do we leave?” Michael asked, sounding very pleased with himself.

Alex rolled his eyes. “I’ll pick you up at seven on Saturday morning. We have a bit of a drive ahead of us.”

“Okay. See you then, sweetie.” Michael teased.

Alex just huffed at him and hung up. Sweetie my ass, he thought.

After a dreamless night of sleep, Alex spent all of Friday getting ready. He packed the cooler with water bottles and snacks, he picked out a shirt to wear over the gawdy Mane’s Family BBQ t-shirt his Aunt Brenda had sent him. He picked out his route on Google Maps and then he just had too much time left on his hands. 

He was over thinking things. Things like how they were going to show that they were really a couple. Would they have to hold hands. Would they have to kiss? Would Alex really want Michael going off with some girl at the party? Even if it was to take her off Alex’s hands? There were too many questions and not nearly enough answers as he waited. 

The next morning dawned bright and early and Alex was relieved to get on the road. He even stopped and grabbed coffee and bagels to share with Michael. Alex was doing fine until he reached the junkyard and then it hit him. He was taking Michael as his date. He might be a pretend date, but he would be there all the same. Not even as a date, but as a boyfriend!

Alex was still freaking out when Michael hopped in.


	2. Chapter 2

The drive from Roswell, New Mexico to Wichita Falls, Texas was almost six hours, so they would arrive at the reunion at around one if they stayed on course. And Alex definitely panned to stay on course. The cooler could tide them over till lunch which they would eat when they got there. He hadn’t been to his aunt’s house in years, but he had to admit there were a few people he was looking forward to seeing.

Michael was quiet in the beginning as if he weren’t very talkative first thing in the morning. He didn’t say a thing when Alex turned on the radio and found a Fall Out Boy song to listen to. He just looked out the window for the first thirty minutes or so sipping the coffee that Alex had brought him. By the time they came to Lea County Michael was sitting up straight in his seat and looking a good deal more alive.

“Not really the morning type are you?” Alex asked him.

“I know how to get up early, but I’m not crazy about it. Even after years of working on the ranch.” Michael admitted.

That made sense to Alex. He hadn’t always been a morning person, but the Air Force had changed that. Now he rose with the dawn whether or not he had an alarm set. It just became a part of who he was, like making his bed first thing in the morning and keeping his boots polished. He’d thought about relaxing some of his regimen, but then it hadn’t felt right, so he just kept it up. 

He was trying to picture what Michael might have done on the ranch and he couldn’t quite see it in his head. Not without more information. “What did you do, when you worked on the ranch, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“I don’t mind.” Michael told him. “I was a ranch hand so it really depended on what time of year it was. Odd jobs here and there mostly. Probably what you’d imagine. Working with the horses and cattle. Keeping the ranch running. Fixing things that were broken. The usual.”

Alex could picture it now. Michael really was a cowboy. The real deal, too. A part of Alex wished he could have seen Michael at work. On a horse, his cowboy hat pulled low to keep the setting sun from his eyes.

“You’re picturing some movie scene cowboy shit right now, aren’t you?” Michael asked, breaking him from his train of thoughts and completely catching on to what he’d been imagining.

“Maybe.” Alex said, a smile twisting at his mouth.

“It’s not glamorous, by any means.” Michael said. “But I liked the work. Kept my hands busy.”

“Do you miss it?” Alex asked softly.

“Nah.” Michael said. “It’s nice to set my own schedule for a change. Choose which jobs to take and which to pass on.”

“I see.” Alex said. He wouldn’t know about choosing jobs or setting his own schedule, he was still pulling desk duty for the Air Force and it looked like that might be his lot in life, at least for now.

They fell quiet again for a while, until Michael finally spoke up about the music. “I’ve been enjoying this walk down memory lane, but I don’t think I can take any more emo alternative shit right now.”

“Is that so.” Alex laughed shocked by Michael’s tone of voice.

“Yeah, we need to expand your horizons a little bit.” Michael told him.

“And just what do you have in mind?” Alex asked, curious.

“Spotify.” He said, holding up his phone. “Where’s the adapter go?

“Did you make a playlist for the drive?” Alex guessed.

“Of course.” Michael shrugged.

Alex laughed. “Okay, it goes here.” And he pointed low on the dash where the adapter plugged in. Then he switched the from am/fm to auxiliary.

Michael plugged in his phone and reached to turn the volume up, causing Alex to laugh again.

“This better be good.” Alex warned. 

Michael shot him a grin before hitting play on his phone. The first song was clearly country, Michael said it was Eric Church, but then he promised the playlist wasn’t all country so Alex stuck with it. It was actually really good, had a great beat to drive to.

The playlist lasted them all the way to the New Mexico/Texas border. They listened to Rage Against the Machine, Matt Nathanson, Little Big Town, The Sex Pistols, and Muse. At the border Michael pulled up George Strait and together they sang Amarillo By Morning, despite the fact that they were heading to Wichita Falls. It was hilarious, Alex couldn’t even recall how he would have learned the song. Probably his mom. 

They got out a rest stop to stretch and to switch places. The air was warm, but the breeze was fresh and cool enough that it wasn’t uncomfortable. Alex pulled out the cooler and they sat at one of the drab little picnic tables eating grapes and cheese and drinking cold water. It was then that Alex realized he’d forgotten the hard part that was coming up. He’d been so distracted by the good music and Michael’s company that he’d stopped thinking about having to see his family. 

Granted there were a few people he’d be happy to see, but it was a chore more than anything else. Even with Michael there as a buffer, and wow, thinking about that made him think that maybe they needed to talk about what being together might look like. What it would look like and also what boundaries they wanted to have. They definitely needed to talk boundaries.

“What’s got you thinking so hard over there?” Michael asked.

Alex offered him a tight smile. “While we’re here, I thought we should talk about what being boyfriends will need to look like and maybe set some boundaries.”

“Well, what do you think it should look like?” Michael wanted to know.

“I’m not sure. Things like holding hands or offering to help each other, get things for each other.” Alex began.

“What about kissing? Boyfriends kiss.” Michael pointed out.

Alex had to think about that. “Not on the mouth.” He said eventually.

Michael raised his eyebrows at that. “Okay.” He said. “This is your dog and pony show.”

Alex huffed a laugh. It certainly was, he thought. 

“Anything else?” Michael asked him.

“I think terms of endearment are okay, but nothing gross like baby or sugar. I can’t picture you calling me anything but Alex, but if you have to try to make it believable.” Alex told him.

“Fair enough. Sweetheart.” He teased. Alex just rolled his eyes.

“What about you, do you have any limits we should add?” Alex asked.

“No, I think we’ve pretty much covered everything. Except what if you need to leave or can’t take any more of someone’s company. Should we have a code word?” Michael asked him.

“I don’t know, probably. You’re just as likely to need to leave as I am.” Alex said.

“Okay, then what’s our word? Something we wouldn’t normally say.” Michael said.

“Okay, how about Star Wars?” Alex asked.

“You are such a nerd. Are you sure you’re not going to be talking about Star Wars at some point this afternoon?” Michael shook his head at Alex.

“Fine, you pick a word.” Alex told him. He downed the rest of his water bottle and then narrowed his eyes at Michael wondering just what he was going to come up with.

“Alright.” Michael said, wiping his hands on his jeans. “How about, daisy? It’s simple and neither of us are likely to bring it up in casual conversation.”

“Daisy? Okay. Daisy it is.” Alex agreed with a laugh.

They finished their snack and headed back to the car where Alex passed over his keys. “This is my baby.” He said. “Go easy on her.”

“Don’t you worry.” Michael said with a laugh.

They switched back to Alex’s music for some Green Day and Panic! At The Disco, there was some Better Than Ezra and The Eagles, which they both agreed on. 

Sometimes they sang along and sometimes they were quiet. It was a companionable silence though, one that gave Alex time to think. The road continued to stretch on ahead of them, though they were more than halfway there when Alex said, “We should get our story straight.”

Michael turned the radio down. “Like how we met, started dating? That sort of thing?”

“Yes.” Alex said, worried now for the first time about how they were going to pull this off.

“Okay, that’s no big deal, we just tell the truth. Your dad’s going to be there, right? He’s gonna know the truth for the most part, so we stick to that and maybe even mention our on again off again tendencies.” Michael suggested.

“Okay, yeah, okay.” Alex said.

“Hey, listen, we’ve got this, you don’t have to worry.” Michael told him. “Don’t go getting your panties in a twist over nothing.”

“My _panties_ are fine. I’m just concerned that we come across as believable. Even to my father. He’ll be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary.” Alex explained.

“We will, we just have to act like we’re used to being out together. You need to get in the right headspace for that.” Michael told him.

“Me? Why not both of us?” Alex wanted to know.

“Because I never had a problem being in public with you, but you--” Michael tried to explain but Alex cut him off.

“Got it. Yeah.” 

“I don’t mean to piss you off, I just want you to think about it. This isn’t just Isobel, this is your whole family. And I’m fine with that, but are you sure you are? We don’t have to go through with this, you can drop me off somewhere and pick me up after.” Michael offered.

“I am. I have to be.” Alex said.

Michael sighed but reached to turn the music up again. “Okay, just checking.” He said softly.

They arrived at his Aunt Brenda’s house at 1:20 pm and Alex was officially nervous. He turned off the car and took a deep breath, turning to Michael. “Ready?” He asked.

“Ready.” Michael told him. 

Together they walked into the house hand in hand in silent agreement, and headed for the backyard, following the sounds of children laughing and general gaity that Alex just wasn’t feeling. Michael gave his hand a quick squeeze as they walked back out into the sunshine, and that was the only thing that could have made Alex feel better just then.


End file.
